Navy's Ken Niumatalolo named AAC coach of year; few Mids make all-conference team

John Raoux / AP

Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo, left, calls out to players during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Notre Dame, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016, in Jacksonville, Fla. Navy won 28-27. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo, left, calls out to players during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Notre Dame, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016, in Jacksonville, Fla. Navy won 28-27. (AP Photo/John Raoux) (John Raoux / AP)

Navy's Ken Niumatalolo received a tremendous honor on Wednesday when he was voted American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year by his peers. Niumatalolo would no doubt trade that award if it meant more recognition for his players.

Senior offensive guard Adam West was the only Navy player named first team All-AAC by vote of the conference’s 12 head coaches. The Midshipmen had three second team choices and three honorable mention selections.

Seven total honorees seemed a bit low for a team that suffered just one league loss and won the West Division with a game to spare. Memphis, which lost 42-28, had five first team selections. SMU, which suffered a 75-31 beating at the hands of Navy, had four first teamers.

“It is what it is. Obviously, we’d like to have more guys recognized. That’s how we’ve been getting treated all year,” Niumatalolo said after practice on Wednesday. “It’s just unfortunate, but I think our kids are kind of used to it.”

Niumatalolo was particularly surprised that quarterback Will Worth was overlooked despite leading the entire Football Bowl Subdivision with 25 rushing touchdowns. Worth has amassed 2,544 yards from scrimmage — 1,363 passing and 1,181 rushing.

“I guess my biggest gripe is to not have Will Worth anywhere. Will deserved something,” said Niumatalolo, noting that Worth is also the trigger man of an offense that ranks second in the American Athletic Conference with 41.7 points per game.

Niumatalolo repeated as American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year after his Midshipmen went 7-1 in American Athletic Conference play for the second consecutive year, clinching the West Division title and home field advantage in Saturday’s conference championship game. Despite returning only one offensive starter from last year’s team, and losing this year’s starting quarterback to a season-ending injury on Opening Day, the Midshipmen have been one of the most prolific offensive teams in the nation in 2016, ranking second in the NCAA in rushing (342.0 ypg), and 11th in scoring (41.7 ppg). Along the way, Navy has committed the fewest penalties (30) and has the second-fewest turnovers (9) of any team in the nation.

West, a 6-foot-3, 297-pound product of Klein, Texas, is a first-year starter at left guard for Navy. He was highlighted at one point this season by running game coordinator Ashley Ingram for doing an outstanding job of getting inside movement.

“Adam has played well. He’s probably exceeded our expectations,” said Ingram, who tutors Navy’s center and guards. “Adam is athletic, can run and is great at the point of attack. He’s had a really good football season.”

Copeland, a 6-foot-4, 281-pound native of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, was a first-year starter at right tackle. Chris Culton, who coaches the Navy tackles, has praised Copeland’s quickness and athleticism that provide an ability to reach the second level.

Morris was an interesting story as he began this season as the backup center and took over the starting job in the fourth game against Air Force. The 6-foot-3, 327-pounder from La Porte, Texas did an excellent job of holding the point of attack.

Thomas is Navy’s clear-cut leader in tackles with 82 — 26 more than any other member of the defense. The 6-foot-1, 249-pound junior, out of Cedar Park High in Vista Ridge, Texas, took over as the team’s on-field defensive leader after captain Daniel Gonzales suffered a season-ending injury.

Navy ranks second nationally in rushing offense with 342 yards per game and was rewarded by having four of five starting offensive linemen named All-AAC.

“I’m proud of all those guys. I’m excited and happy for them, but I think it’s a tribute to the offense,” Ingram said. “Our offense is a team offense. We don’t have a lot of guys with a lot of rushing yards because so many guys carry the ball. Will does a great job of distributing the ball and has great numbers for a running quarterback. While I’m happy that our offensive line was recognized, to me it’s reflective of what we’ve done on offense this year.”

South Florida quarterback Quinton Flowers, who has led the most successful season in program history, was named AAC Offensive Player of the Year. Central Florida linebacker Shaquem Griffin, who has directed a remarkable turnaround in 2016, was honored as Defensive Player of the Year.

Memphis return specialist Tony Pollard was chosen as Special Teams Player of the Year while Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver was named Rookie of the Year.

Flowers was chosen Offensive Player of the Year after he finished the regular season as the only player in the conference to both throw for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000. He set school records for total offense (3,976 yards), rushing yards (1,425), rushing touchdowns (15) and total touchdowns (37).

Griffin becomes the third UCF player to win a major football honor from the American, following Blake Bortles (2013 Offensive Player of the Year) and Jacoby Glenn (2014 Defensive Player of the Year). Griffin made an immediate impact in his first year as a starter, finishing as the American Athletic Conference leader in sacks (11.0) and ranking third in the conference in tackles for loss (19.0). Griffin finished the regular season with 85 total tackles along with two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, six pass breakups and an interception, helping the Knights — who went winless in 2015 — to six wins and bowl eligibility in 2016.

Pollard continued Memphis’ hold on the Special Teams Player of the Year award, giving the program the winner of that honor for the fourth straight season (joining punter Tom Hornsey in 2013 and kicker Jake Elliott in 2014 and 2015). Pollard ranks ninth nationally in kickoff returns, averaging 28.4 yards per attempt, and had 993 yards on kickoffs as a freshman. He returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, finishing the regular season as the only player in the American with more than one special teams touchdown.

Oliver becomes the second Houston player to be named as the American Rookie of the Year (quarterback John O’Korn won in 2013). A unanimous selection to the all-conference first team as well, Oliver made an immediate impact on the Cougars, who finished the regular season ranked second nationally in rushing defense (97.9 yards per game). Oliver finished second in the conference in tackles for loss (19.5) and had five sacks, three forced fumbles, a team-high nine pass breakups and seven quarterback hurries.